Oil well heater



March 24, 1936. J, R- VANDEVER 2,035,413

OL WELL HEATER Filed Nov. 2, 1954 Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OIL WELL HEATER Application November 2, 1934, Serial No. 751,215

6 Claims'.

This invention relates to heaters for oil wells. It is of that general type of heater which is adapted to be lowered into an oil well for the purpose of heating the oil producing strata of the well to melt the parafne and other solidified petroleum products which clog the oil producing formation.

In general, the improved heater is of that class of heaters which employ chemicals Which, when 10 mixed, will produce an exothermic reaction as a source of heat. This invention provides a heater of this type which carries within it the chemicals required to produce the desired reaction, and which has means for bringing such chemicals into contact with each other when the heater has been lowered to the bottom of the well.r

A further feature of the invention consists in the internal design of heaters o-f this typev Whereby the substances which produce the reaction may be completely and thoroughly brought into` contact with one another to produce a complete reaction with the maximum of efficiency and least possible Waste of chemical.

Still another feature of the invention consists in the provision of escape valves in combination with the improved heater which prevent the escape of a portion of the vapors resultingr from the reaction and serve to maintain the pressure 3oV within the housing at a predetermined maximum during the reaction.

Yet another feature of the invention consists in the provision of improved means for bringing the substances carried within the heater into contact with each other.

Yet another feature of the invention consists in the provision of means for conducting gases and vapors resulting from the reaction from the lower portion of the heater to substantially the upper end thereof in order that the movement of these gases will not interfere withy the downward movement of the fluid causing the reac-l tion.

Many other and further objects and advantages of the invention Will become apparent from the following specification when considered in connection with the accompanying. drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the. improved heater;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the heater showing the improvedV arrangement of parts interiorly thereof; and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional viewvof a modi.-

fied form of the heater.

With more particular reference to the drawing, the improved heatercomprises a housing I preferably cylindrical in form tightly closed at its lower end by a transverse wall 2 and tapered at its upper end to form a neck. 3 which may be V closed by a suitable filler cap 4. Thel housing is preferably made. of two sections I@ and Ib, which are joined together by means of a coupling 5. A partition wall 6 is located internally of the heater and serves to divide the heater internally into 1'0` two fluid tight chambers l' and 8.

The partition wall 6 is held in position by means of the coupling 5 and the ends of the sections Ia and Ib4 of the housing which are. screwed into the coupling 5. Annular gaskets 9 may be 1'5l therein substantially throughout its length, al- 25 thoughy the upper portion thereof is preferably imperforate. The pipe I 0 is maintained in an axial central position of the lower chamber by means of a removable annular perforated disc I2,

which has a central aperture sumciently large to 3o slide freely over the. pipe Illland an outer diameter sufficiently small to slip within the housing section Ib. 'Ihe disc IZ'ismaintained in a position about midway of the pipe IIJ by means of a plurality of.' lugs I3 struck up from the surface of 35 the pipe I0. The disc I 2 has a plurality of escape holes. I2a therethrough'. The upper portion of the housing Ia is provided with a pair of escape valves. I4, which control the escapel of vapors and gases from the. interior of the housing. 40

These escape valves I4 preferably comprise a cage I5 rigidly secured to the housing and having` a ball Il adapted to engage a valve seat I8 ground, into the housing proper. The ball I'I is pressed into engagement with its seat by means 45 of a coil spring I9 confined between the ball II' and a set screw 2li threadably mounted in the cage. I5.

It may be seen from the foregoing that-the escape valve may thus be regulated to control the 50 maximum pressure which may be permitted to exist within the housing. An aperture 2| is provided in the partition wall 6 and hasv threaded into it ar relatively long gas escape pipe 2.2, which extendsk to. the upper portion of the chamber l. 55

Centrally of the partition wall 6 is an aperture ground to form a valve seat 23 for a valve 24. The valve 24 has a stem 25 which extends downwardly centrally of the pipe Ill. The valve stem 25 is connected by means of a resilient connection 26 to a valve operating rod 21, which extends through an aperture 28 in the central portion of the bottom 2 of the casing. Both the upper and lower portions of this aperture are ground to form valve seats, and a pair of spaced valve members 29a and 29b are secured to the valve operating rod 2'I to engage these valve seats.

The lower portion of the Valve rod is flared to form an inverted cup 30 which when brought into engagement with the bottom of the well will serve to actuate the valve.

A bail or support 3I is secure-d to the upper portion of the housing to provide means by which the heater may be lowered into the well. The operation of the above described apparatus is preferably substantially as follows.

The lower portion of the annular space between the wall Ib of the housing and the perforated pipe I is lled with a mixture of caustic soda and aluminum filings or other heat producing substances. The partition plate I2 is then slid down over the pipe I0 until it rests upon the top of the material in the annular space or upon the lugs I3. The heater is then assembled and supported by means of the bail 3 I.

The weight of the valve 24 and associated parts will serve to maintain this valve against its seat 23. The upper chamber I of the heater housing is then filled with water up to a point substantially below the end of the pipe 22. 'I'he heater is then charged ready for use and may be lowered into the Well by means of any suitable rope or cable secured to the bail 3|.

Upon reaching the bottom of the well, the valve operating rod 21 will be raised relative to the heater housing due to the fact that the ared out portion 30 thereof abuts against the bottom of the well. This will serve to open the valve 24 and permit the water in the chamber I to descend downwardly within the pipe I0.

It will also be seen thatvthe valve body 29b serves to maintain the lower chamber tightly closed thus preventing the escape of any substantial amount of fluid either into or out vfrom the housing.

This water will gradually pass outwardly through the holes I I in the pipe I0 and be brought into an intimate contact with the caustic soda and aluminum filings in the annular space surrounding the pipe I0. It will be apparent from the above described construction that a maximum surface area is exposed to the water consequently insuring a complete reaction.

Considerable heat will be generated as result of this reaction and considerable gas and steam produced. This gas and steam is permitted to escape into the upper chamber of the heater by means of the pipe 22 and is carried sumciently far into the upper chamber so that it will not interfere with the downward movement of the water.

After the heater has rested on the bottom of the well sufliciently long to permit fluid in the upper chamber to drain into the lower chamber, the heater is raised slightly from the bottomof the well sufficient to permit the valves 24 and 28 to seat against their respective seats.

As the reaction takes place, considerable pressure will be generated in the heater, increasing the temperature thereof. When the pressure within the heater has reached a predetermined maximum, the surplus gas will be permitted to escape through the escape valves I4 described above.

As is apparent from the construction of these valves, the predetermined pressure within the heater may be adjusted at will to a point of maximum efficiency for the particular conditions under which the heater is being used. It is apparent that after the reaction has been completed, the heater may be withdrawn from the well and recharged for subsequent similar operations.

In the modified form of the heater shown in Figure 3, a frangible seal 32 secure-d by screws 33 to the partition S is substituted for the valve 24. In order to insure a fluid tight engagement of the seal in the partition walls, a gasket 34 may be interposed therebetween. A cylindrical guide pipe 35 is secured rigidly to the partition wall 6 and extends downwardly internally of the pipe I0.

A piercer member 35 has the lower portion 3'I thereof flared out to engage the bottom of the hole and has a cylindrical stem passing through a packing gland 33 in the bottom wall of the heater housing. A collar 39 is secured to the stem of the piercer member above the packing gland in order to limit the movement of the piercer member.

The upper end of the piercer member is pointed at 4U and lies normally just beneath the seal 32. It will be apparent in this construction that when the heater is lowered into the well, the lowering movement of the heater relative to the piercer member will cause a piercing of the seal 32, thus permitting the fluid in the upper chamber to descend within the pipe I0.

The pipe 35 serves to conduct the uid directly from the point where the seal is pierced into the pipe Ill and also serves as a guide for the point 38 of the piercer. In this modification, it will be apparent as soon as the seal 32 is pierced, the heater may be raised from the bottom of the well slightly to withdraw the point of the piercer from the seal and permit a. freer flow of fluid into the lower chamber. In other respects, the construction and the operation of the modified form of the invention shown in Figure is substantially the same as that described in connection with the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 2.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the double valve arrangement illustrated for use in connection with the bottom wall 0f the heater may be equally satisfactorily employed in connection with the modification shown in Figure 3, and likewise a packing gland may equally well be substituted for the double valve arrangement shown in Figure 2.

It will further be apparent that many other and further modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A heater for oil wells comprising a housing adapted to be lowered into a well to be heated, said housing being divided into separate upper and lower chambers, a valve for controlling the downward movement of fluid from said upper chamber into said lower chamber, means having a portion adapted to engage the bottom of said well for operating said valve, and means in addition to said valve for conducting gas generated in said lower chamber to the upper portion of said upper chamber,

2. A heater for oil wells comprising a housing adapted to be lowered into a well to be heated, said housing being divided internally into separate upper and lower chambers, an axially extending perforated tube in said lower chamber, a valve adjacent the upper end of said tube, and means adapted to engage the bottom of said well and extending through said tube for actuating said Valve.

3. A heater for oil wells comprising a housing adapted to be lowered into a well to be heated, a pair of separate upper and lower chambers internally of said heater, a perforated pipe forming an axially disposed passageway through said lower chamber, means for controlling flow of fluid from the upper chamber into said passageway comprising a valve located adjacent the upper end of said tube, and means adapted to engage the bottom of said well extending through said passageway for operating said Valve.

4. A heater for oil wells comprising a housing adapted to be lowered into a well to be heated, said housing being divided internally into separate upper and lower chambers, a frangible seal normally controlling communication between said chambers, a perforated tube extending axially through said lower chamber and having its upper end terminating adjacent said seal, and means for rupturing said seal comprising a rod extending through said tube and having a portion adapted to engage the bottom of the Well.

5. A heater for oil wells comprising a housing adapted to be lowered into a well to be heated, said housing being divided internally into separate upper and lower chambers, a frangible seal normally controlling communication between said chambers, a perforated tube extending axially through said lower chamber and having its upper end terminating adjacent said seal, and means for rupturing said seal comprising a rod having one end adapted to rupture said seal and the other end adapted to engage the bottom of said well, said rod extending through a packing gland in the bottom of said housing.

6. A heater for oil wells comprising a housing adapted to be lowered into an oil Well to be heated, said housing being divided internally into separate upper and lower chambers, means between said chambers for controlling communication therebetween, a perforated annular wall within said lower chamber forming an axially disposed passageway therethrough and means adapted to engage the bottom of the well extending through said axially disposed passageway for actuating said means for controlling communication between said chambers.

JAMES R. VANDEVER. 

